Short-term memory is based on synchronized brain oscillations

Public release date: 31-Jan-2012
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Contact: Dr. Stefanie Liebe
stefanie.liebe@tuebingen.mpg.de
44-207-837-5433
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Scientists have now discovered how different brain regions cooperate during short-term memory

This press release is available in German.

Holding information within one's memory for a short while is a seemingly simple and everyday task. We use our short-term memory when remembering a new telephone number if there is nothing to write at hand, or to find the beautiful dress inside the store that we were just admiring in the shopping window. Yet, despite the apparent simplicity of these actions, short-term memory is a complex cognitive act that entails the participation of multiple brain regions. However, whether and how different brain regions cooperate during memory has remained elusive. A group of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tbingen, Germany have now come closer to answering this question. They discovered that oscillations between different brain regions are crucial in visually remembering things over a short period of time.

It has long been known that brain regions in the frontal part of the brain are involved in short-term memory, while processing of visual information occurs primarily at the back of the brain. However, to successfully remember visual information over a short period of time, these distant regions need to coordinate and integrate information.

To better understand how this occurs, scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Biological Cybernetics in the department of Nikos Logothetis recorded electrical activity both in a visual area and in the frontal part of the brain in monkeys. The scientists showed the animals identical or different images within short intervals while recording their brain activity. The animals then had to indicate whether the second image was the same as the first one.

The scientists observed that, in each of the two brain regions, brain activity showed strong oscillations in a certain set of frequencies called the theta-band. Importantly, these oscillations did not occur independently of each other, but synchronized their activity temporarily: "It is as if you have two revolving doors in each of the two areas. During working memory, they get in sync, thereby allowing information to pass through them much more efficiently than if they were out of sync," explains Stefanie Liebe, the first author of the study, conducted in the team of Gregor Rainer in cooperation with Gregor Hrzer from the Technical University Graz. The more synchronized the activity was, the better could the animals remember the initial image. Thus, the authors were able to establish a direct relationship between what they observed in the brain and the performance of the animal.

The study highlights how synchronized brain oscillations are important for the communication and interaction of different brain regions. Almost all multi-faceted cognitive acts, such as visual recognition, arise from a complex interplay of specialized and distributed neural networks. How relationships between such distributed sites are established and how they contribute to represent and communicate information about external and internal events in order to attain a coherent percept or memory is still poorly understood.

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Stefanie Liebe, Gregor M Hoerzer, Nikos K Logothetis & Gregor Rainer (2012) Theta coupling between V4 and prefrontal cortex predicts visual short-term memory performance. Nature Neuroscience, 29 January 2012, doi: 10.1038/nn.3038.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 31-Jan-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Dr. Stefanie Liebe
stefanie.liebe@tuebingen.mpg.de
44-207-837-5433
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Scientists have now discovered how different brain regions cooperate during short-term memory

This press release is available in German.

Holding information within one's memory for a short while is a seemingly simple and everyday task. We use our short-term memory when remembering a new telephone number if there is nothing to write at hand, or to find the beautiful dress inside the store that we were just admiring in the shopping window. Yet, despite the apparent simplicity of these actions, short-term memory is a complex cognitive act that entails the participation of multiple brain regions. However, whether and how different brain regions cooperate during memory has remained elusive. A group of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tbingen, Germany have now come closer to answering this question. They discovered that oscillations between different brain regions are crucial in visually remembering things over a short period of time.

It has long been known that brain regions in the frontal part of the brain are involved in short-term memory, while processing of visual information occurs primarily at the back of the brain. However, to successfully remember visual information over a short period of time, these distant regions need to coordinate and integrate information.

To better understand how this occurs, scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Biological Cybernetics in the department of Nikos Logothetis recorded electrical activity both in a visual area and in the frontal part of the brain in monkeys. The scientists showed the animals identical or different images within short intervals while recording their brain activity. The animals then had to indicate whether the second image was the same as the first one.

The scientists observed that, in each of the two brain regions, brain activity showed strong oscillations in a certain set of frequencies called the theta-band. Importantly, these oscillations did not occur independently of each other, but synchronized their activity temporarily: "It is as if you have two revolving doors in each of the two areas. During working memory, they get in sync, thereby allowing information to pass through them much more efficiently than if they were out of sync," explains Stefanie Liebe, the first author of the study, conducted in the team of Gregor Rainer in cooperation with Gregor Hrzer from the Technical University Graz. The more synchronized the activity was, the better could the animals remember the initial image. Thus, the authors were able to establish a direct relationship between what they observed in the brain and the performance of the animal.

The study highlights how synchronized brain oscillations are important for the communication and interaction of different brain regions. Almost all multi-faceted cognitive acts, such as visual recognition, arise from a complex interplay of specialized and distributed neural networks. How relationships between such distributed sites are established and how they contribute to represent and communicate information about external and internal events in order to attain a coherent percept or memory is still poorly understood.

###

Stefanie Liebe, Gregor M Hoerzer, Nikos K Logothetis & Gregor Rainer (2012) Theta coupling between V4 and prefrontal cortex predicts visual short-term memory performance. Nature Neuroscience, 29 January 2012, doi: 10.1038/nn.3038.

---

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/m-smi013112.php

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Blood found at home where Maine tot was last seen

WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) ? Investigators say they've found blood inside the Maine home where a toddler was reported missing six weeks ago.

State police spokesman Steve McCausland says the blood was found in the basement early in the investigation into Ayla Reynolds' disappearance from her father's home in Waterville.

Her father, Justin DiPietro, says Ayla was not in her bed when he checked on her the morning of Dec. 17.

McCausland says the blood is troubling and police believe DiPietro and two other adults at DiPietro's home that morning "have not given us the full story."

The blood is being analyzed to determine whose it is, but McCausland doesn't know when the results would be available.

Ayla was 20 months old when she disappeared.

WCVB-TV in Boston first reported the discovery of the blood.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-28-US-Missing-Toddler/id-84ac477d66464758a38aaf2cd5fe8a5f

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Oil industry sees China winning, West losing from Iran sanctions (Reuters)

DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) ? As the European Union prepares to ban Iranian oil and the United States turns the screw on payments, oil executives and policymakers say China and Russia stand to gain the most and Western oil firms and consumers may emerge the biggest losers.

Iran will continue to sell much the same volume of oil - 2.6 million barrels per day or around 3 percent of world supply - but almost all of it will flow to China, they reason. And being pretty much Iran's only remaining customer, Beijing will be able to negotiate a much reduced price.

The EU will ban Iranian oil from July. The United States plans sanctions on Iran's central bank and possibly its shipping firm. European headquartered oil firms such as France's Total and Royal Dutch Shell have already abandoned Iranian oil purchases or are in the process of doing so.

Japan and South Korea have signaled they may reduce purchases of Iranian oil to comply with U.S. sanctions designed to put pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program.

That leaves a growing number of buyers competing for alternative supplies. Inevitably attention has turned to Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest exporter and the only country that can quickly increase oil output and help the West avoid a price spike that would deal a severe economic blow.

The IMF said this week that crude oil prices could rise 20 to 30 percent if Iran were to retaliate by halting its oil exports altogether. Oil industry executives meeting in Davos said energy markets can afford to lose half of Iran's 2.6 million barrels per day. That would be roughly equivalent to supplies lost during Libya's civil war in 2011. They are confident Saudi Arabia will fill the gap.

"What we say is that oil is fungible. Iranian oil will still find its way into the market, to Asian markets, China and possibly at a lower price," a top Saudi source told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"But if let's say 50 percent of Iranian oil is lost, we have spare capacity, we have the capacity to replace it as Libya has shown," he added.

The chief of Saudi state oil monopoly Saudi Aramco, Khalid al-Falih, moved from one bilateral meeting to the next during the World Economic Forum this week. Over the past month or so the kingdom has received requests for additional oil from the European Union, Japan and South Korea. The European Union and Turkey buy almost a third of Iranian oil exports with the rest going to China, Japan, South Korea, India and South Africa.

"As a regular conversation we talked about increased supplies. Saudi Aramco is always positive," Jun Arai, the head of Japan's Showa Shell, told Reuters.

Russia too stands to gain from Western sanctions on Iran. The world's biggest oil producer is well positioned to raise its market share in Europe, despite misgivings among some Europeans about relying too heavily on Russia for oil and gas. Payment disputes between Russia and neighboring Ukraine have in the past threatened transit gas supplies to Europe.

"I'm sure Moscow is watching the situation with big interest," said Jos? Sergio Gabrielli, chief executive of Brazil's Petrobras. Arkady Dvorkovich, the Kremlin's top economic aide, concurred that Russia stood to benefit from sanctions that were guaranteed to keep oil prices at least at current levels around $100 a barrel by his reckoning.

Showa Shell buys 100,000 barrels per day from Iran under a deal that expires in March and like other firms would be exposed to U.S. sanctions if not given a waiver under the latest ban on dealing with Iran's central bank. "We are waiting for guidance from the government," said Arai.

For Total the guidance has been clearer. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been one of the main advocates of tough sanctions. "We have already stopped (buying from Iran)," said Total's chief Christopher de Margerie. The firm was previously lifting 80,000-100,000 barrels per day (bpd) from Iran.

Peter Voser, chief executive at Royal Dutch Shell, said his company might take some time before suspending purchases, which market sources estimate at 100,000 barrels per day.

"We are a European company and therefore we are affected by the sanctions and we will obviously oblige and implement the sanctions. I need to study all the details in order to see how it goes forward," he said.

Apart from Total and Shell, Europe's biggest buyers of Iranian oil are Italian, Spanish and Greek companies.

CHEAP OIL

China has so far refrained from buying more Iranian crude but the perception in the industry and among diplomats is that the world's No.2 oil consumer will find it hard to resist buying unsold Iranian oil at a knockdown price.

"I think (the Iranian) oil will go somewhere else ... Iran may give a discount to make it easier and quicker but nothing will change," said De Margerie.

Robert Hormats, U.S. under secretary for economy, energy and agriculture, could not say with certainty that sanctions would reduce Iran's oil exports but he predicted more pain for the Iranian economy.

"You cannot predict what they (Iran) will do and how much they will discount their oil. But it will certainly cause more and more discomfort to the Iranian economy," he said, adding that China too had an interest in a 'constructive outcome'.

"No one has an interest in Iran continuing its non-peaceful nuclear program," he said. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes - electricity generation and medical equipment.

To maximize the impact of the sanctions, the U.S. will apply waivers very "selectively" and "responsibly," Hormats said. In addition, the U.S. administration is talking to Congress about extending sanctions to Iran's shipping fleet although the discussion is at an early stage, he added.

(Reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov; editing by Janet McBride)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/energy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120127/wl_nm/us_davos_iran_oil

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Romney, Gingrich spar over immigration, housing and personal issues at Florida CNN debate (The Ticket)

The tension between Florida frontrunners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich was on full display Thursday night at the CNN Republican presidential debate in Jacksonville, Fla., as the candidates attacked one another on immigration, housing and personal issues in front of a televised national audience.

"The idea that I am anti-immigrant is repulsive," former Massachusetts governor Romney told Gingrich following the former House Speaker's live accusation. "You should apologize."

Gingrich and Romney are running ads against one another in the state, where they are currently neck-and-neck in current state polling.

Gingrich and Romney have both committed to heavily campaigning in Florida where 50 delegates are up for grabs for a single candidate in the Jan. 31 primary. (Florida chose to flout Republican National Committee rules and allocate all of their delegates in a winner-take-all system.)

Texas Rep. Ron Paul has chosen not to actively campaign in the state and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has been non-committal regarding whether he will even hold an Election Night party there.

In a rare moment of solidarity in the debate, Santorum and Gingrich voiced support for?Romney's "self-deportation" theory, which suggests illegal immigrants will leave the United States if they can't find suitable employment.

"I actually agree with Governor Romney," Santorum said. "We have to have a country that not only do you repect the law when you come here, you respect the law when you stay here."

Paul was the only candidate on stage Thursday night to disagree, saying he doesn't see the scenario playing out.

But Gingrich and Romney quickly turned on one another, sparring over immigration and the housing crisis.

Romney said Gingrich should have been "a whistleblower, not a horn tooter" on the housing crisis and highlighting Gingrich's work for housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Gingrich turned that around by accusing Romney of profiting from major entities that have gone into crisis including Fannie and Freddie as well as Goldman Sachs.

Romney's defense was "my investments are not made by me," but are instead managed in a blind trust. "Have you checked your own investments?" he asked Gingrich.

Gingrich hit back by accusing Romney of giving a hands off approach to wrangle himself out of controversial situations (he doesn't make his own investments, hadn't seen his own attack ads.)

At times, all the candidates expressed annoyance with debate moderator Wolf Blitzer's focus on the conflict between the two frontrunners.

"This subject really doesn't interest me a whole lot," Paul said when asked to comment on the two candidates' argument over their connections to the housing crisis.

"These two gentlemen are distracting from the most important issues we have," Santorum said.

Throughout the two-hour debate, Gingrich displayed more bravado and confidence than he had at Monday night's debate, in which the audience was not permitted to react. Many observers suggested Gingrich gives his best debate performances when he can win instant audience reactions.

Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

Want more of our best political stories? Visit?The Ticket or connect with us?on Facebook, follow us?on Twitter, or add us?on Tumblr.

Handy with a camera? Join?our?Election 2012 Flickr group to submit your photos of the campaign in action.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20120126/el_yblog_theticket/romney-gingrich-spar-over-immigration-at-florida-cnn-debate

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FACT CHECK: Distortions in GOP debate (The Arizona Republic)

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UN REPORT SAYS AFRICA'S ECONOMY CONTINUES STRONG MARCH TOWARDS RECOVERY

ADDIS ABABA, Jan 18 (NNN-XINHUA) -- Africa's economy continues its strong march towards recovery, defying the global trend, according to the United Nations economic report for 2012.

The World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) 2012, which was launched on Tuesday, forecasts Africa to see an increase in its overall growth from 2.7 per cent in 2011 to 5.0 per cent in 2012 and 5.1 per cent in 2013.

This marks a pronounced recovery and a return to the solid growth trend which emerged after the peak of 2008 global economic crisis.

With strong recovery in many African countries, it is hoped that progress of social development goals, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in particular, should be accelerated in 2012 and 2013 towards 2015, said Adam Elhiraika, Chief of Macro-economic Analysis Section at the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA), who was briefing journalists about the Report.

The Report says relatively strong commodity prices, solid external capital inflows and a continued expansion of demand and investment from Asia will be the important driving forces for the trend.

Countries across the continent will continue to have widely divergent growth outcomes owing to military conflicts, lack of infrastructure, corruption and severe drought, states the WESP.

In North Africa sub-region, Libya's economy is estimated to have contracted by 25 per cent in 2011 in the wake of the recent regime change, but reconstruction is expected to drive a rebound.

Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia are all expected to see a more pronounced increase in economic growth in 2012. Growth rates in the sub-region will remain constrained by uncertain political conditions, negatively affecting the tourism sector in particular, but the region should see a post-conflict bounce, says the Report.

In East Africa, Ethiopia will reflect continued infrastructure improvements, especially in the energy sector which overshadow the negative impact of drought conditions on agricultural output in some areas.

Kenya will see continued strength in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth figure, driven by infrastructure investment, the expansion of the telecommunication sector and increased banking participation rates. Uganda is also expected to see solid growth on the back of large energy investments, states the Report.

The WESP says there is relatively positive outlook for South Africa and energy producers in the region. South Africa is forecast to see stronger economic growth in 2012, underpinned by favorable external demand, continued fiscal stimulus and rising consumption driven by higher wages.

Elevated oil prices will continue to create significant upside potential for oil-producing economies such as Angola, Ghana and Nigeria. However, infrastructure shortfalls, especially in the energy sector, as well as political instability in the Niger Delta will prevent Nigeria from exploiting its full growth potential.

In Angola, the start of operations at a new liquefied natural gas project will boost growth in 2012, it says.

The Report also says despite the relatively solid expected growth trajectory in Africa, unemployment and poverty remain major problems.

Diversification, particularly into activities generating higher value added, a shortage of skilled workers and low productivity are among the underlying causes of the problems.

The UN notes that its economic outlook for Africa is subject to a number of downside risks.

"Debt crisis in Europe and in the U.S. could push the global economy into stagnation, affecting growth in developing countries. Under these adverse developments, Africa's external sector may contract significantly if commodity demand and prices, as well as tourism receipts, decrease," the report says.

In parallel to this, flows of official development assistance, foreign direct investment and remittance might also fall, negatively affecting Africa's development financing.

Such a scenario would reduce growth in Africa by 1.7 percentage points in 2012 and 1.5 percentage points in 2013, led by a pronounced economic slowdown in major economies such as South Africa and Nigeria.

The possibility of adverse weather conditions pose another significant downside risk, given the larger role of agriculture across the continent, says the Report. -- NNN-XINHUA

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5767943721

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Afghan commission alleges US detainee abuse

Gul Rahman Qazi , center, head of an Afghan investigative commission speaks during a media conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012. Afghan President Karzai had charged the commission with investigating the detention of some hundreds of suspected militants and the investigative commission has accused the U.S. military of abusing detainees at its largest prison, and says those held without evidence should be freed.(AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Gul Rahman Qazi , center, head of an Afghan investigative commission speaks during a media conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012. Afghan President Karzai had charged the commission with investigating the detention of some hundreds of suspected militants and the investigative commission has accused the U.S. military of abusing detainees at its largest prison, and says those held without evidence should be freed.(AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Gul Rahman Qazi, center, head of an Afghan investigative commission speaks during a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012. Afghan President Karzai had charged the commission with investigating the detention of some hundreds of suspected militants and the investigative commission has accused the U.S. military of abusing detainees at its largest prison, and says those held without evidence should be freed. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? An Afghan investigative commission accused the American military Saturday of abusing detainees at its main prison in the country, saying anyone held without evidence should be freed and backing President Hamid Karzai's demand that the U.S. turn over all prisoners to Afghan custody.

The demands put the U.S. and the Afghan governments on a collision course as negotiations continue for a Strategic Partnership Document with America that will determine the U.S. role in Afghanistan after 2014, when most foreign troops are due to withdraw. By pushing the detainees issue now, Karzai may be seeking to bolster his hand in the negotiations.

At the center of the dispute are hundreds of suspected Taliban and al-Qaida operators captured by American forces. The controversy mirrors that surrounding the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay. There, as at the prison in Afghanistan, American forces are holding many detainees without charging them with a specific crime or presenting evidence in a civilian court.

Members of the Afghan investigation said U.S. officials told them that many of those militant suspects held at the U.S.-run portion of the prison outside Bagram Air Base north of Kabul were taken based on intelligence that cannot be used in Afghan courts.

Detainees interviewed during two visits by the investigators complained of freezing cold, humiliating strip searches and being deprived of light, according to Gul Rahman Qazi, who led the investigation ordered by Karzai.

Another investigator, Sayed Noorullah, said the prison must be transferred to Afghan control "as soon as possible," adding that "If there is no evidence ... they have the right to be freed."

U.S. Embassy spokesman Gavin Sundwall said Saturday that American officials only received the commission's report after its press briefing. He said the U.S. investigates all allegations of prisoner abuse.

"We will certainly take seriously the report and study it," he said. He added that the U.S. is committed to working with the Afghan government on a joint plan to turn over detainees "in a responsible manner."

Karzai on Thursday abruptly demanded that the U.S. military turn over full control of the prison, officially known as the Parwan Detention Center but generally referred to as the Bagram prison, within a month. A spokesman for the president said Saturday that he made the announcement in response to the investigation team's report.

The president's demand for full control of the prison so soon took many by surprise, since the U.S. and Afghan governments had been working on a gradual timetable for transferring responsibility for the prison over the next two years.

In the ongoing negotiations over the Strategic Partnership, Karzai has demanded an end to night raids by international troops and complete Afghan control over detainees.

Karzai is walking a fine line in the brinkmanship over the negotiations. He needs America's military and financial strength to back his weak government as it battles the Taliban insurgency. At the same time, he is under pressure from the public, where there is widespread resentment of U.S. methods in the fight against the Taliban ? and Karzai has in the past sought to demonstrate his independence from the Americans with anti-U.S. rhetoric.

The Taliban mocked the president Friday in a statement that specifically mentioned Afghan detainees

"Ostensibly, he speaks of national sovereignty and of the welfare of people but practically, we see that there are thousands of Afghan detainees who have been suffering in the Bagram Air Base and other American bases now for years, and without a trial," the Taliban said.

The detention center near Bagram was opened in 2009 to replace an older prison inside the base itself. The deaths of two Afghan prisoners at the previous facility in 2002 led to prison abuse charges against several American troops.

Officially, U.S. and Afghan militaries jointly run the facility, but the Afghan side controls a small portion with about 300 detainees whose cases are slated to be tried by Afghan judiciary. The U.S. military runs the larger portion of the prison.

Qazi, who led the ad hoc investigation of the Independent Commission for Overseeing the Implementation of the Constitution, said U.S. prison officials told only about 300 of the nearly 3,000 detainees had legal cases against them.

He said he was told that that 2,700 others were suspected Taliban who were captured using classified intelligence.

"The foreign friends told us they are held based on the rules of the battlefield, and they are dangerous and cannot be set free," Qazi told reporters Saturday.

Prison officials also made it clear that many of those being held had no evidence against them that would hold up in court, said Abdul Qader Adalatkhwa, the deputy leader of the commission.

"The Americans told us that according to their rules and regulation, whenever they detain somebody, after taking photos of the evidence at the site, they eliminate all the evidence of the site ? bullets, weapons, any other evidence," Adalatkhwa said.

"So this is their concern," he said. "That when they hand over the detainees to the Afghan side, because of the differences in the civilian Afghan system and the U.S. (military) system, most of these people might get freed."

The prison near Bagram also holds foreign al-Qaida suspects from several different countries captured in what the U.S. considers battlefield conditions.

It's unclear what would happen to those foreign suspects if they were turned over to Afghan custody, but Adalatkhwa implied that they, too, might be released unless there is evidence to charge them with a crime.

"The legal procedures of Afghanistan would apply to them," Adalatkhwa said.

Meanwhile, NATO statistics show that violence had increased in two of the three most contested areas of Afghanistan in the past 11 months, but dropped in the other.

In southern and eastern Afghanistan, enemy-initiated attacks rose by 5 and 20 percent respectively, while in the southwest there were 29 percent lower than in the same period in 2010, according to a month-by-month review.

While there has been a dramatic drop in insurgent attacks in southwestern Afghanistan, the figures indicated that enemy activity in the Taliban's heartland remained high in 2011 despite the NATO's overwhelming superiority in numbers and firepower.

___

Associated Press writer Slobodan Lekic contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-07-AS-Afghanistan/id-615922e7e55b49b0801d4bb06c252e46

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Same-store sales seen up 3.4 percent in December (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? When top U.S. retailers post their December sales this week, Wall Street analysts expect them to report a healthy end to the holiday season, helped by discounts, improved consumer sentiment and tactics such as extended hours and layaways.

Some 22 major chains, from Macy's Inc (M.N) and Target Corp (TGT.N) to Costco Wholesale Corp (COST.O) and Gap Inc (GPS.N), should post an aggregate 3.4 percent increase in December sales at stores open at least a year, according to Thomson Reuters, capping a season that started moderately but gained steam in December.

The big challenge for retailers this holiday season was how to attract shoppers without decimating margins.

"Ever since the recession, retailers have had to do a lot more to get shoppers to open their wallets," said Catherine Moellering, an executive vice president at retail consulting firm Tobe.

Companies such as Macy's, which offered a lot of exclusive merchandise, were better able to hold on to their pricing power, she said.

Other top gainers are expected to be discount chains such as Costco, with its cheaper gasoline, and Target as shoppers sought out low prices.

Higher up the price spectrum, chains such as Saks Inc (SKS.N), and Nordstrom Inc (JWN.N) should also do well, helped by the continued recovery of high-end spending and a stock market that rebounded after swooning earlier in the fall.

Overall sales picked up in the second half of December and Macy's and Victoria's Secret parent Limited Brands Inc (LTD.N) have enjoyed better-than-expected sales this holiday season, said Nomura Equity Research analyst Paul Lejuez.

J.C. Penney Co Inc (JCP.N) was one of the most "promotional" retailers in the days after Christmas, he said.

Penney and Gap, which are under pressure to slash prices to lure price-conscious shoppers, are expected to be laggards again after seeing sales declines in November.

Penney comparable sales should be up 0.2 percent, while Gap's are expected to slip 1.2 percent, hurt by a 2.7 percent drop at its low-price Old Navy chain, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Kohl's Corp (KSS.N) will also be closely watched after a unexpected and sharp drop in same-store sales for November. Analysts expect its December same-store sales to rise 2.3 percent after a gain of 3.9 percent in December 2010.

If December sales for the 22 chains meet expectations, that would be just above December 2010's 3.1 percent jump.

Earlier reports suggested December was shaping up to be a good month, helped by last-minute shopping and strength after Christmas Day. The ICSC/Goldman Sachs weekly chain store sales index rose 4.5 percent during the week ended December 24.

The National Retail Federation in mid-December raised its sales forecast to a 3.8 percent increase for November and December, from 2.8 percent, based in part on a strong start to December.

November same-store sales rose 2.9 percent, according to the Thomson Reuters index, missing analyst forecasts, despite a record turnout on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving that puts the season into high gear.

For a graphic on same-store sales: http://link.reuters.com/byw75s

MARGINS UNDER PRESSURE

The same-store sales number does not include results from major chains such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) and Sears Holdings Corp (SHLD.O) and therefore only gives a partial snapshot of the retail season.

Wal-Mart's discount chain alone counts for 11 percent of total U.S. retail sales. When the company, which stopped reporting monthly results in 2009, was included in the Thomson Reuters index, it accounted for 50 percent of the tally.

Last quarter, Wal-Mart finally broke a nine-quarter streak of U.S. same-store sales declines.

Janney Capital Markets expects that improvement to continue in the holiday quarter with a rise of 1.9 percent, helped by its layaway program, which allows shoppers to pay in installments.

Retail sales rose 5.2 percent during the 2010 holiday season despite weakness at Wal-Mart. Strong sales at Wal-Mart will be crucial to declaring this season a winner for U.S. retailers.

But in spite of better consumer spending, it was a competitive season that saw chains try to undercut each other through low prices, compromising margins.

The pressure to give deals even after Christmas was on full display last week at Champlain Centre mall in Plattsburgh, New York. Victoria Secret was offering a 'Buy 1 get 1 50 percent off' deal on select bras, while Old Navy was selling jeans for adults for $15 and kids jeans for $10.

The level of discounting this holiday was "of concern," Tobe's Moellering said.

"How do we get consumers to pay full price ever again?" she said.

One potential dark cloud for chains that are reliant on clothing sales, such as Macy's, Penney and Kohl's is the warm December across much of the country that likely dented sales of cold-weather gear.

(Reporting By Phil Wahba; Editing by Andrew Hay, John Wallace and Andre Grenon)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120103/bs_nm/us_usa_retail_preview

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